The referendum held on October 20simultaneously with the first electoral round of the presidential elections, already indicated that Moldova It is split in half as to whether the direction of its political and economic development should be directed towards Europe or towards Russia. That constitutional consultation, promoted by the president of the country, Maia Sanduwhich lost this Sunday’s elections by a narrow margin, was won by the pro-Europeans, although by a minimal difference: 50.4% in favor of integration into the EU compared to 49.6%, against.
However, in this Sunday’s vote, the pro-Russian Alexandr Stoianogloformer attorney general, has won with 51.25% of the votes while the current pro-European president, Maia Sanduleader of the Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), has obtained 48.35%, data with 99.14% of the ballots counted. Participation has been high, above 54%, higher than in previous calls.
However, the progress of the scrutiny could give surprises, possible challenges in certain colleges, in addition to the foreseeable delay in the incorporation of the votes received from consulates abroad, especially in Europe, where Moldovan residents are in favor of accession. to the EU, and in Russia, where 400,000 Moldovans live, the largest diaspora of this country outside its borders, most of them presumably favorable to the Kremlin. Of the 2,219 polling stations open during the day, 231 are spread across 37 foreign countries.
The Moldovan authorities warned of “large-scale” Russian “interference” in this second electoral round. Presidential National Security Advisor Stanislav Secrieru wrote in X that “this is an attempt to distort the election results.”
The Reuters agency reported that the Moldovan authorities informed several EU countries about Russia’s intentions to hinder the voting of Moldovan emigrants in foreign polling stations, since, according to the Chisinau Government, the Moldovan diaspora is mostly pro-European and votes to Sandu. In Moscow, huge queues formed at the Moldovan Consulate, where two polling stations were operating, and there were people who reported that they had not been able to exercise their right to vote, apparently due to a sufficient lack of voting papers, which led to an early cessation of the elections. votes.
Computer failures
Moldovan Channel 5 revealed that in several European countries the computer system at the polling stations did not work. The Police assured that they were investigating possible “organized transportation by Russia” to transport voters. Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean spoke of “false bomb warnings abroad” to blow up the vote
Observers from the Moldovan NGO Promo-LEX reported 109 violations during the first two hours of voting in Sunday’s presidential election in Moldova. They claim to have detected a case of organized transportation of voters at a polling station in Türkiye. There have been, according to the NGO, 62 polling stations that opened late. Many voters complain about not having been included in the electoral roll and denounce the “inaction” in this regard by the Central Election Commission. Despite all this, they rated the work of the electoral commissions as “good” or “very good” in 98.9% of cases. Promo-LEX also reports the placement of campaign posters less than 100 meters from some polling stations.
Sandu, 52 years oldentered politics in 2012, having previously worked as an advisor to the executive director of the World Bank and lived in Washington. She worked as Minister of Education for two years, in 2019 she led the Moldovan government for almost six months and in 2020 she won the presidential elections, then defeating head of state, the pro-Russian and friend of Vladimir Putin, Igor Dodon in the second round. Already under his mandate, Sandu declared his support for Ukraine, joined the Western sanctions against Russia and, at the same time as Ukraine, presented the application for membership in the European Union, which is his main electoral asset, since the promises made four years ago to raise the standard of living of the population, introduce reforms in the economic system and end corruption remain largely unfulfilled.
For its part, Stoianoglo, 57 years old and candidate of the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM), whose main leader is Dodon, defines himself as an “apolitical presidential candidate” as a “newcomer to politics.” He comes from the separatist region of Gagauzia, an enclave that, like Transnistria, has a majority pro-Russian population. However, analysts emphasize that Stoianoglo differs substantially from Dodon. He considers that “the path towards European integration does not mean that there has to be confrontation with Russia.” He also believes that the territorial dispute with Transnistria and the presence of Russian troops there “are issues that can be resolved through dialogue.”
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